This site is to monitor conditions in Arizona's criminal justice system, as well as offer some critical analysis of the prison industrial complex from a prison abolitionist/anarchist's perspective. If you're unfamiliar with prison abolition, check out Critical Resistance. I'm just a freelance writer and human rights activist, and have no legal training.

Legislative Alert: HEAR THE PRIVATE PRISON BILLS!!!

FACT: Private prisons are not safer or providing better quality than state prisons

FACT: Private prisons are unaccountable to Arizona taxpayers

Unfortunately, the attitude of state lawmakers is, “don’t bother me with the facts.”

There are 6 private prisons, all operated by Corrections Corporation of
America, that are located in Arizona that do not contract with the
state. They take prisoners from other states, like California and
Hawaii, and immigrant detainees from Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. There is practically no state oversight over these
prisons. Rep. Chad Campbell (D-14) has introduced 6 bills that would
impose transparency, accountability, and state regulation onto private
prisons in Arizona.

Despite the horrific escapes from the Kingman prison in 2010,
recommendations by the Auditor General, and testimony heard by
legislative committees, these bills face serious obstacles to passage.
The House Speaker has assigned them to two committees, plus Rules. The
bills must pass out of their first committee by February 17th or they
are effectively dead.

The first committee is Commerce. The Chair is Rep. Jim Weiers and the
Vice Chair is Rep. JD Mesnard. So far, they have refused to put these
bills on the agenda for a hearing.

Why
wouldn’t they want private prisons to be required to notify the state
if there is an incident that threatens public health or safety (HB2204)?Why wouldn’t they want Arizona to prohibit transfer of serious or violent offenders from other states (HB2204)?Why wouldn’t they want state monitoring and oversight of private prisons (HB2205 & HB2299)?

Arizona
should have the right to tell private prison companies like CCA that
they can’t import dangerous or violent offenders from other states.Arizona taxpayers
are shelling out millions for private prisons every year. We deserve to
know what kind of return we’re getting on our investment.Prisons are fundamentally about public safety.

Our communities should be assured that these facilities are safe,
and the public should be notified when there are incidents like escapes or riots.

**If you can blind copy or cc us, we will have a better idea how
effective this initiative is. If you receive responses, even
boiler-plate ones, please forward those to us, if possible.